Rolling fire-shutter, partition, or the like.



A. L. I W. P. GIBSON I W. H. ROSS. ROLLING FIRE SHUTTER, PARTITION, OR THE' LIKE. APPLICATION FILED Nov. I4. IIIIz. RENEWED IuNE I5. 19u.

l @l? I. Patented' Feb. 5, 191.8.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

A. L. 6L W. P. GIBSON IL W. H. ROSS.

ROLLING FIRE SHUTTER, PARTITION, 0R THE LIKE.

APPLICATIIDN FlLED Nov. I4', 1912. RNfwEDJuNEI5.1917.

l?. Patented. Feb. 5, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WWII

Illmlin ul AITIM I Imgd Gibson \N LILLQIIL Purkrlbson WLLILum Hem; R055 Vdistinct from the winding-up or :AMIIUEILOYD GIBSON, WILLIAM PARKER GIBSON,

AND 'WILLIAM HENRY ROSS, F

TWICKENHAM, ENGLAND.

ROLLING FIRE-SHUTTER, PARTITION, OR THE LIKE.

dresser-7.

Application filed November14, 1912, Serial No. 731,253;

4.To yzZZ whom' it may concern.'

Be it known that we, ARTHUR LLOYD GIBSON andWILLIAM PARKER GIBSON, both citizens of the `|United States of America, an'dWILLIAM HENRY Ross, a subject of His `Majesty the King of Great Bi-itain, all residents of Twickenham, f England, have .invented'a certain new and useful Improvement in lRolling fFire-Shutters, Partitions, kor the like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements connected with rolling shutters, partitions, or other kinds offheavyroll-up curtains, and particularly to reproof ones, which are normally held in theirrolled-up condition but can when desired be allowed to fall.

as heretofore constructed, and especiallyl in those'of the larger sizes,l the speed kof the fall as the curtain approaches the. Hoor becomes so much accelerated by the Weight of the part uncoiled that a considerable amount'of noise is Occasioned by the impact of the curtain on the floor. To some extent the counterbalancing springs act as a brake slightly retarding the fall, and 'in fact such springs have been for this reason'called brakes; butV their control was very limited and became relatively less as the speed and weight of the falling curtain acting against them increased. Y

"The invention has for its object to provide Vmeans for so retarding the speed Of thefalling curtain when released that said curtain will reach the ground or limit of `its fall without any great noise or undue suddenness. According to the present invention there is employed a braking or speed controlling or retarding device adapted to exert a progressive or increasing resistance to thel fall of the curtain, or set up a resistance at an advance stage in the fall ofthe curtain; and such braking or speed-controlling device is retaining In such devices,

spring or springs.

A further advantage, in addition to that of reducing noise and jar, is that the improved apparatus provides for regulating the speed of descent, and thus gives a definite period of time during the fall ofthe curtain for permitting any persons who may be close at hand to escape from one side to the other.

Specification of Letters Patent.

lljatentedfleb.' 5, Mild.. Renewed June 15,1917. Serial No. 175,042.

The invention will now be described more fully with reference to the example thereof shown by way of illustration in theaccompanying. drawings, in which lFigure l is a sectional end ele'vationof 'a double curtain equipment or outfit embodying the features of lthe invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section thereof taken approximately on the line 2-2 Fig. l, and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view showing the improved form of braking device indicated in Fig. l.

The said drawings show a system of apparatus in which the curtains are employed in duplicate or paired, tween them. These curtains are indicated at a c and are wound on spring drumsb which maybe constructed and operated in the usual or anysuitable way.

The usual'operating shaft is shown"l at c, provided with a hand crank c. As heretofore, this shaft is geared with-the spring drums'b The braking or control mechanism is actuated through the intervention of a countershaft Z `which carries at each end a bevel gear wheel d 'meshing with a bevel gear wheel e on a vertical shaft e. This countershaft also carries at each end a pinion Z2 meshing with a smaller pinion c2 on the shaft c by which when raising the curtain the countershaft Z is driven. On the axle of each of. the spring drums is a large spur wheel o gearing with a combined spur and bevel wheel b2 with which meshes a bevel wheel e2 on the upper end of the corresponding vertical shaft e.

The countershaft l constitutes, when the curtain is falling, the operating shaft of the improved control or braking mechanism, which is shown clearly in Fig. 3.

For a suitable portion of its length Ythe shaft Z is screw threaded at slow pitch as shown at (Z3, and on said screw threaded p0rtion ofthe shaft is mounted anut or traveler f which is guided along, and prevented from rotating with the shaft by a guide rail g with which said nut engages. The other portion ofthe shaftd is plain or non-threaded and carries `a sliding collar 72, which is slotted as indicated at 7L but only at its rear portion, and is likewise guided by the guide rail g and 'serves as the brake member, as hereinafter described. Between the nut and the collar It is suspended a dash pot of with a space be-V which the cylinder or barrel z' is jointed or otherwise connected to the nut f and the piston rod j is similarly connected to the collar /L or conversely. The piston y" of this dash pot has a small hole jg for permitting liquid contained in the cylinder to esca e from one side of the piston to the other. buch hole jz is controlled by a ball valve allowing liquid to pass only in one direction. The cylinder is provided with a pipe or by-pass i leading from the forward end to the rear end with which latter it communicates through a small hole i2, the size of which latter may be controlled by a needle valve 7c.

On the shaft Z is a fast collar Z located at such a point on the shaft as not to interfere with the free travel of the loose collar h until the determined end of said travel and this portion of the mechanism is inclosed within a box or casing m through the ends of which the shaft'pas'ses.

'Ihe operation of the braking mechanism is as follows z- The shaft Z being geared at high speed ratio with the drums Z) Z), as soon as the curtain begins to descend said shaft will begin to revolve rapidly, the nut f being initially near the extreme end, remote from the fast collar Z, of the shaft: and, the loose collar ZL being unslotted at its forward part, the forward end of the slot h is closed by a shoulwhich on the retreat of the collar L, abuts against the end face of the guide rail g, and locks the collar against further movement along the shaft cZ. Asthe shaft Z revolves and the nut f consequently travels along its screw-threaded der c' of the dash pot will be carried along with it toward the fast collar Z; and the loose collar ZL, being freely slidable, will be pushed along the shaft by the dash pot, as a whole before the liquid in the latter begins to pass in any appreciable quantity from one side of the piston to the other. There will therefore be little resistance offered to the fall of the curtain, but when the loose collar It has come into contact with the fast collar Z there will be at once a frictional resistance set up between the fixed face of one and the rotating face of the other, and this resistance will increase as the loose collar h is pressed more and more forcibly against the fast collar Z.

It will be noticed that the gearing is so arranged that the ratio between the drum Z2 and the brake shaft d is for speed; consequently the converse ratio, namely between the brake shaft Z and the drums Z9 is for power, and therefore the brake mechanism V(Jopies of this patent may be Vpart CZS, the cylin-V allow such release of the pressure between the loose and fast collars as-will permit the descent of the curtainsto continue.

The ball valve in the piston allows of the Y liquid passing freely back` upon the raising of the curtain. n

rlhe parts of the construction described are susceptible of modification without departing-from the gist of the invention as claimed. Y

1What weclaim is:

l. In combination with al shutter and a winding means therefor, of means ffor retardingthe descent of the shutter consisting of a threaded shaft operably connected for rotation with said shutter winding means, a rectilinearly movable dash potV and piston therefor, one of 'said two last Vnamed parts ope-rated by the threaded screw and the other having a free movement" in a direction parallel tothe axis of the threaded screw and means for limiting'said movement and therefore retarding the rotation fof the threaded shaft. Y

2. In combination with a shutter and a winding means therefor, of means for retarding the'descent of the shutter Vconsisting of a threaded shaft operably connected for rotation with said shutter winding means, a rectilinearly movable dash pot and piston therefor, one of said two last namedparts operated by the threaded screw andthe other having a braking member and a free movement in a direction parallel to the axis ofthe threaded screw, means for limiting said movement, and a braking member operated by the shaft coperating with the braking member carried by the freely movable part to retard the rotation of the shaft. v

whereof we have hereunto of two sub- In testimony set our hands in the presence scribing witnesses. Y

ARTHUR LLOYD GIBSON.

WILLIAM PARKER GIBSON.

WILLIAM HENRY ROSS. Witnesses:

' B. W; URANT,

VO. J. WORTH.

obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents; Washington, D. C. 

